Stock Photo: Pixabay
Updated at 2:40 p.m.
By Lyonel Doherty and Dale Boyd
Schools in the South Okanagan are remaining open Thursday as the province and local authorities continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister of Health Adrian Dix and B.C.’s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced new cases of COVID-19 in the in B.C. bringing the total to 46 total cases in the province on March 11.
The new cases marked the first in the Island Health region, with new cases also announced in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health region. One person has died in B.C. as a result of the virus. One case of COVID-19 was reported in the Interior Health Region in February.
The province will provide another update to media later today (March 12).
School District No. 53 (Okanagan-Similkameen) superintendent Bev Young said their staff continue to get the word out regarding good hand washing and hygiene to offset the spread of all illnesses.
“We have no trips to Europe or Asia this spring that we need to worry about, and the international students who are registered with us are registered in distant learning.”
• Read more: BC Centre for Disease Control guidelines and information on coronavirus
Young said no trips have been planned to the U.S. during spring break, but there are dry grad trips planned in June. Staff will monitor travel advisories to theme parks closer to those dates. The school district will continue updating parents through school websites.
Patsy-Anne Takacs, principal of Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary School, said staff are having students wash their hands often, and are reminding them not to touch their faces.
“We sent a letter home to parents recently that was sent to us from Interior Health.”
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has experienced “no impact at this point,” and no events have been cancelled according to Bill Newell, chief administrative officer. He said the RDOS has a Business Resumption Plan the regional government will follow if their essential operations are threatened.
RDOS staff will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves and will take action based on information available from Interior Health.
Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) Chief Clarence Louie said the virus threat has led to the cancellation of the annual BC Aboriginal Diabetes Conference in Penticton, and the OIB has cancelled sending youth to a conference in Kamloops. The The Junior All-Native Basketball Tournament is cancelling opening ceremonies and a feast planned for March 15 at UBCO in Kelowna due to COVID-19 concerns. The tournament will continue to take place during the week, as of now (March 12), a spokesperson told the Osoyoos Times.
Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson said her office has been advised that it’s up to staff to decide whether or not to maintain regular hours in light of the pandemic.
• Read more: BC’s Pandemic Provincial Coordination Plan
“Most of rural B.C. is still maintaining normal hours,” she said, noting that offices on the coast, close to where outbreaks have been reported, have been advised to work remotely.
Larson said her office always answers the phone and emails even when closed.
The MLA said constituency assistant Patt Vermiere may decide not to physically allow people into the office during the pandemic.
“It’s our choice at this point,” Larson noted.
Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff is in regular daily contact with local directors, first responders and staff. With healthcare and pandemic response falling under the jurisdiction of the province, the Town of Osoyoos is focused on protecting staff and emergency personnel with the same preventive measures put forward by the province.
“People are worried about going to visit their loved ones at care facilities. There are so many things and we don’t even quite know how to answer them. So our job from the town is to try and protect our employees. All we can do really is give them information and please be aware that if you’re not feeling well don’t come in, wash your hands, all that,” McKortoff said.
“We’re not going to have any large gatherings. Thank heavens. We don’t have anything in the works right away or we might have to look at that and see whether that makes sense to not hold them, or to postpone them. It’s too new to everybody and we’re trying to deal with things on a daily basis.”
One of the few events in Osoyoos which could see large numbers of people is the upcoming Atom Fiesta hockey tournament. BC Hockey has advised on their website that they are monitoring the situation, and South Okanagan Minor Hockey Association (SOMHA) said they are waiting to hear whether the tournament is going ahead with opening ceremonies scheduled for Friday at Sun Bowl Arena.
BC Hockey stated on their website they are also keeping up with updates and recommendations will be ongoing.
“We are in daily communication with our national partner, Hockey Canada, and we are monitoring updates, recommendations and warnings that may be issued by the Government of BC and Government of Canada,” said Barry Petrachenko, CEO of BC Hockey, in a statement on their website on March 10.
There has yet to be any major event cancellations in Oliver or Osoyoos, with some events in Penticton and Kelowna cancelling and School District No. 67 cancelling all international trips.
Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country said in a statement that they will “continue to take actions necessary to help protect the community and our visiting guests.”
Major events upcoming for the organization include the Pig Out Festival on May 2 and the Half Corked Marathon on May 30.
“If the health authorities recommend that large scale events do not take place, we have strategies in place to postpone our signature events. If we decide to take this course of action, we will communicate details and new dates to participants as soon as we can.”
Echoing that statement the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) said they are also monitoring the situation and will provide updates on tourism and travel as they are available.
“While there are currently no reported cases of COVID-19 in the Thompson Okanagan region and just over 100 persons infected in total in Canada to date, indications are that these numbers will increase in the coming days,” said Glenn Mandziuk, president and CEO of TOTA in a statement.
More to come …
